Peter Barus

A disaster of this magnitude has left deep wounds in our communities. They need to be made whole.

Vermont’s school-funding formula was supposed to provide equal opportunity for our children statewide. A generation — a generation! — of bright, creative, powerful young people has been schooled on a crazily un-level playing field.

Like everyone I know and work with at nine Vermont public schools and three town boards-of-authority, I am filled with sadness and shame and outrage!

Public trust in our institutions of government is the foundation of democracy.

Without it, we can only create scapegoats in the place of justice, and corruption in place of integrity.

Restoring public trust requires us to address these egregious wrongs openly and authentically. Only when we can stand in the presence of the actual and continuing harm can we act effectively to stop, change direction, and repair the crippling damage.

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It’s not about Trump — he’s just a patsy

Two things made Donald Trump's second attempt at the presidency successful. One: millions of eyeballs looking in the same direction is a mind-bogglingly profitable commodity these days. The other: A very well-orchestrated and -funded operation to suppress votes, polarize the country, smear the opposition, and focus on getting enough...

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Bully pulpit: The abusive presidential relationship

The new president, after a long campaign of wild rhetoric and belligerent outbursts, has started directing executive action against vulnerable groups that a normal person would treat with respect and kindness and generosity, such as women and children fleeing for their lives from war zones. This policy has put...

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New governor disrupts Act 46 process

As one who has sat through every minute of countless Act 46 and school board meetings in a large supervisory union, I think very highly of the communities and individuals who have been in the trenches during these months and years of hard work, sustaining accessible and effective education for the coming generations. The boards, the public, and administration officials have shown unflagging commitment, integrity, and a real sense of community. Even if we didn't have to deal with mandated...

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Now we can count all the votes!

We now have the technology to know everything about everybody. So we should have no trouble counting all the votes in a national election. Since we can now know exactly what the Will of the People is, we can have true democracy! The Big Data has been piling up for years. While we're at it, why not look up what actually happened back there in Bush v. Gore, how all these horrible wars started, and where all our money went?

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